Activity 4
The Sutton Hoo Dig – what can you discover?
Imagine standing here in Anglo-Saxon times, around 1,400 years ago. A cremation is taking place at the cemetery and the fire is burning with great intensity. The tall column of smoke can be seen for miles. In front of you, crowds of people follow the path to the cemetery to pay their respects.
Welcome to the Sutton Hoo dig site in Suffolk, England. Your task is to carry out an archaeological dig to recover objects that tell us something about what life was like for Anglo-Saxon people living there at the time.
You have 100 credits and a shovel at your disposal. With these you need to try and find 11 buried objects. It will cost one credit to examine one section of the dig site and a further two credits if you wish to dig there. If you find an item, you will be rewarded with 20 credits!
Be careful what sections you search because if your credits run out before you find objects you will not be able to continue the dig and will never know the mystery of Sutton Hoo!
Source: www.deviantart.com/steverigby/
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
? 
Dig site results
You have found a helmet
Made by someone highly skilled for a very important person. The helmet has panels decorated with animals and heroic scenes. The bronze eyebrows are inlaid with silver wire and garnets and end in a boars-head. Between the eyebrows is a dragonhead that lies nose to nose with another dragonhead.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found a sword and scabbard
Found in the horseman’s grave. As well as the sword, mineralised fragments of a wooden sword-sheath or scabbard survived. Made of willow or poplar wood with fur lining. It was placed at the person’s right hand side, suggesting that they may have been left-handed.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have an old horse bridle bit
The horse was buried wearing its decorative harness. The bridle was decorated with gilt bronze ornamentation.
Dig site results
You have found a shield
Found in the ship – a big shield leaning up against the wall at the head of the burial chamber. It had a diameter of 91½ cm. It was curved like the glass in a watch. It was made of limewood and covered in hide (animal skin), but not much of this survived. This is a reconstruction of the remains of the ornate shield found in the burial ship.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found some shoulder clasps
Two beautifully curved pieces joined by a pin made of solid gold with inlaid garnets and millefiori glass.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have the lyre
Small fragments of the lyre were found. This is a reconstruction of what the instrument might have looked like.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found a gold belt buckle
Gold belt-buckle, hollow with cast ornament is made of gold and weighs 412.7 grams (almost a pound) - used to fasten the kind of waist belt commonly worn by Anglo-Saxon men at the time, from which might hang a knife and sometimes a leather pouch. It is decorated with 13 animals including birds, interwoven snakes and four-legged beasts.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found some drinking horns
Silver-gilt drinking-horn fittings mounted onto replica horns. At the mouth of the horn is a rim-mount consisting of four rectangular silver-gilt foil panels, decorated with animal designs.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have a whetstone sceptre
The whetstone was commonly used for sharpening blades. Several features hint that it was an emblem of power. Its design resembles Roman sceptres, owned by holders of high offices. It shows no signs of wear and is very elaborate in form, and may have been used instead as a ceremonial sceptre.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found a hanging bowl
This magnificent copper alloy hanging bowl is the largest of three found in the ship burial. It was probably imported from beyond the Anglo-Saxon heartlands and was perhaps acquired as tribute or through a marriage alliance.
20 credits earned for find.
Dig site results
You have found a purse
This purse lid was found to contain 37 gold coins, three blank coins, and two small gold ingots. They all come from Francia, across the English Channel, and provided key evidence for dating the burial to the early seventh century. Each coin came from a different mint!
20 credits earned for find.
Congratulations
You have discovered 11 items from the dig site and earned a total of 100 credits!
Click on the photos below to read about each find or click the ‘play again’ link.
Helmet
Sword and scabbard
Horse harness
Shield
Shoulder clasps
Lyre
Gold belt buckle
Drinking horns
Whetstone Sceptre
Hanging Bowl
Purse
Helmet
Made by someone highly skilled for a very important person. The helmet has panels decorated with animals and heroic scenes. The bronze eyebrows are inlaid with silver wire and garnets and end in a boars-head. Between the eyebrows is a dragonhead that lies nose to nose with another dragonhead.
Sword and scabbard
Found in the horseman’s grave. As well as the sword, mineralised fragments of a wooden sword-sheath or scabbard survived. Made of willow or poplar wood with fur lining. It was placed at the person’s right hand side, suggesting that they may have been left-handed.
Horse harness
The horse was buried wearing its decorative harness. The bridle was decorated with gilt bronze ornamentation.
Shield
Found in the ship – a big shield leaning up against the wall at the head of the burial chamber. It had a diameter of 91½ cm. It was curved like the glass in a watch. It was made of limewood and covered in hide (animal skin), but not much of this survived.
Shoulder clasps
Two beautifully curved pieces joined by a pin made of solid gold with inlaid garnets and millefiori glass.
Lyre
Small fragments of the lyre were found. This is a reconstruction of what the instrument might have looked like.
Gold belt buckle
Gold belt-buckle, hollow with cast ornament is made of gold and weighs 412.7 grams (almost a pound) - used to fasten the kind of waist belt commonly worn by Anglo-Saxon men at the time, from which might hang a knife and sometimes a leather pouch. It is decorated with 13 animals including birds, interwoven snakes and four-legged beasts.
Drinking horns
Silver-gilt drinking-horn fittings mounted onto replica horns. At the mouth of the horn is a rim-mount consisting of four rectangular silver-gilt foil panels, decorated with animal designs.
Whetstone Sceptre
The whetstone was commonly used for sharpening blades. Several features hint that it was an emblem of power. Its design resembles Roman sceptres, owned by holders of high offices. It shows no signs of wear and is very elaborate in form, and may have been used instead as a ceremonial sceptre.
Hanging bowl
This magnificent copper alloy hanging bowl is the largest of three found in the ship burial. It was probably imported from beyond the Anglo-Saxon heartlands and was perhaps acquired as tribute or through a marriage alliance.
Purse
This purse lid was found to contain 37 gold coins, three blank coins, and two small gold ingots. They all come from Francia, across the English Channel, and provided key evidence for dating the burial to the early seventh century. Each coin came from a different mint!
Your Task
After playing the game answer the questions below on screen or in this Word Doc version to save your answers.